Yuma mother speaks out after son’s gravesite was vandalized twice

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) - A Yuma mother is speaking out and sharing her story after her son's final resting place was vandalized.

The gravesite of 19-year-old Danny Garcia, who was one of the victims of the deadly house party shooting, has been vandalized not just once, but twice.

His mother, Mercedes Hernandez, says that weeks after she laid him to rest, her family alerted her to social media posts showing a group of boys vandalizing his grave.

"Some boys thought it would be funny to come to his gravesite, post pictures, put guns there, take his plaque, take it with them, and make a music video making fun of his passing and just doing a bunch of crazy things," Hernandez said.

Hernandez said her daughter alerted her to the social media posts.

"They had posted it on Instagram, so it was going around. My daughter called me and told me what happened. I jumped in my car and came straight over here with a couple of family members. We saw the flowers that were there scattered around and ripped up, and his plaque was missing," Hernandez said.

Two videos, posted to social media, show Garcia's plaque and the vandalism at the gravesite.

Hernandez said the vandalism of her son's final resting place has significantly impacted their family.

"After this happened, I didn't feel safe coming here. I didn't know if someone was watching me, so it took a while for us to come back," Hernandez explained.

News 11 also spoke with Sgt. Lori Franklin with the Yuma Police Department (YPD) about how serious gravesite vandalism is.

"Any damage you do to a gravesite is aggravated criminal damage, and that's going to be a felony offense against you," Sgt. Franklin said.

Anyone with information that could help identify the suspects is asked to contact YPD.